Parenting

Jewish Camp is a valuable way for interfaith families to learn and share in the joy of Judaism in a comfortable, fun and meaningful environment. See which camps identify as welcoming to interfaith families.

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Connecting Interfaith Families to Jewish Life in Greater Cleveland by providing programs and opportunities for interfaith families to experience Judaism in a variety of venues, meet other interfaith families, and to connect to other Jewish organizations that may serve their needs.

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This is an interactive, fun, and low-key workshop for couples who are dating, engaged or recently married. The sessions will give you a chance to ask questions about faith, to think about where you are as an adult with your own spirituality and to talk through what's important to you and your partner.

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A great way for Jewish professionals and volunteers who work with and provide programming for people in interfaith relationships to locate resources and trainings to build more welcome into their Jewish communities; connect with and learn from each other; and publicize and enhance their programs and services.

Tag Archives: communication

A couple of weeks ago, as we were going to sleep, my husband said, â€śIâ€™m sorry there are people out there who donâ€™t like you because of your religion.â€ť I have to say, I was a little startled by the comment, though it was appreciated.

As a Conservative Jewish person growing up in a small town, Iâ€™ve always known there was anti-Semitism out there. If not overtly, then just this sense of being â€śother.â€ť But marrying someone who is not Jewish, and raising a Jewish daughter together, gives me a new perspective.

Several years ago, there was a hate crime on a college campus. It was apparent to me that it was a hate crime, but my husband wasnâ€™t sure. He thought it was horrible, but maybe just a college kidâ€™s prank. We fought about it and likely came to some agreement, but I was surprised by his views. He had a different world view. Not because heâ€™s unaware or ignorantâ€”heâ€™s one of the most intelligent and well-read people I knowâ€”but because 1. Itâ€™s something he hasnâ€™t experienced and 2. He just could not believe someone would feel and act so hateful.

Fast forward a couple years and someone made a Jewish â€śjokeâ€ť in front of me. Again, he was floored and outraged. This time, not quite so shocked.

Fast forward again to todayâ€™s political and social climate and sadly the shock is gone, but the outrage is still there, and has grown.

What does that mean for our daughter, who is being raised Jewish and in the religion her father grew up with?

Sheâ€™s 9 now and for years I never talked to her about racism of any kind. I didnâ€™t want her to see it or know that it exists. But in Kindergarten, she had an African American teacher. I happened to be volunteering in the class on MLK Day and listened as the teacher explained the importance of the day to the kids. They listened and I listened and I was so glad to have her perspective and hear how she so freely and frankly explained why Dr. King is important.

Still, it took a while before I explained the Holocaust. Again, I didnâ€™t want to introduce the ideas. But eventually we did talk about it and she accepted what had happened as children do.

But hate is more apparent today than ever in my memory, so how do we talk about it? We are still figuring it out, but hereâ€™s what we do.

First, we donâ€™t let our daughter watch the news. Itâ€™s horrific and scary and not meant for a 9-year-old. We do talk to her about it as much as we feel is appropriate for her age and maturity.

Second, we use this as a learning tool. We talk about our own beliefs in respecting everyoneâ€™s religion and ethnicity.

Third, we stress the importance of multiculturalism and just how cool it is to know people of different backgrounds.

And no matter what, we support each other 150 percent. Itâ€™s a given that my husband stands against hate and prejudice of any kindâ€”he would regardless of whether he was married to a Jewish womanâ€”but this hits closer to home because of our marriage.

Perhaps most important, we keep the lines of communication open. We answer questions and are always available for discussion. And we donâ€™t tolerate hate or prejudice of any kind.

Shortly after the election last November, a friend sent me aÂ real estate listing. It was for a private island in Scotland, including several buildings, its own postage stamp and infrastructure. I started breaking down costs, much to my husbandâ€™s bewilderment. He didnâ€™t understand. But when I talked to my mother about it, she understood immediately. â€śWeâ€™ll know when itâ€™s time to go,â€ť she said.Â My husband thought we were being paranoid. I said we were being Jewish.

The fact is that it isnâ€™t in my husbandâ€™s belief system to think that his government would ever turn on him. He simply cannot imagine that such a thing could happen. I can.

I knew long ago that there were some gaps in our perceptions of the world. He did not know about Dr. Brownâ€™s soda, for one thing, or how to wear a yarmulke. Heâ€™d never seen a Woody Allen movie or lit a menorah. His relatives had largely fled the Potato Famine. Heâ€™s taught me about kneelers, having nuns in your family and growing up Boston Irish.

I wasnâ€™t sure what we were going to learn about each other on our recent trip to Amsterdam. To me, going to Amsterdam meant art, the canals and probably some good beer, but mostly it meant finally getting to see the secret annex. I read Anne Frankâ€™s account of living in hiding when I was in elementary school; it was a source of both hero worship and nightmares for me. I was excited about getting to experience the setting of her story firsthand, but my excitement contained both reverence and nausea. This was where she wrote. This was where she hid to save herself. Would my husband, who was not Jewish, be able to understand all of this?

We waited in line, in the sun, for hours to gain admission. â€śYou can go,â€ť I kept telling him. â€śItâ€™s hot and thereâ€™s nowhere to sit. I donâ€™t mind.â€ť He said no. We took turns standing or sitting on the ground, talking with the German woman behind us who was waiting with her dog and eavesdropping on the loud group of Americans in front of us. They kept exclaiming loudly about how seeing the house was at the top of their to-do list in Amsterdam â€śbecause itâ€™s like the biggest attraction.â€ť We cringed. â€śI was like, OMG, we totes have to go and get the T-shirt or whatever,â€ť I whispered to him. He rolled his eyes. Solidarity.

He took my hand as we crossed into the museum, making our way through the lower levels, the offices and store rooms that buffered the Franks and the other residents of the annex from discovery. The further up we went, the harder it became to swallow the lump in my throat. They were here, I thought. Those pictures on the wall are the ones Anne wrote about in her diary. This is where they ate. This is the textbook they used for lessons to occupy their timeâ€”to maintain some semblance of normalcy in a world that was no longer anything like normal.

This has always been part of what Iâ€™ve found so hard to explain to my husband: Their world was normal and then it wasnâ€™t. Yes, things got worse and worse, until they were so bad that they fled for their lives. But it was incrementalâ€”a pot with the water gradually heating to boiling. This is what I mean when I ask, â€śHow will we know?â€ť I mean, how will we be better-equipped to recognize that the temperature is rising too high?

We were both silent as we left the museum, passing all the postcards bearing the images of the photos weâ€™d encountered throughout the tour. It felt somehow indecent to buy them, although I hesitated over the copy of the picture of the sole survivor, Otto Frank, standing in the annex in 1960. How do you bear that? How do you endure being in the place where your family lived, knowing you couldnâ€™t save them? â€śI love this picture,â€ť I told my husband. â€śBut Iâ€™m not buying it.â€ť He nodded, understanding what I meant: We have children.

â€śI didnâ€™t like feeling thatâ€”but youâ€™re right, I donâ€™t have that context.â€ť

â€śYou donâ€™t,â€ť I said. â€śBut I saw you in there. You felt what I did.â€ť

â€śYes, of course,â€ť he said. â€śThat doesnâ€™t depend on context.â€ť

We turned our attention to what was in front of us then: the drinks, watching people walk along the canal, and I realized that Iâ€™d needed his explanation as much as heâ€™d needed mine. Our context is different, but we are not.

We are commanded to honor our parents. The fifth commandment can present a few challenges, however, like when my Jewish mother is sitting next to my Presbyterian father-in-law in his favorite Chinese restaurant, waving a pink morsel around on her fork and loudly asking, â€śWhat is this?â€ť

â€śIt may be pork, Mom, just eat around it,â€ť I whisper. OK, maybe I hiss. Iâ€™d prefer to think I whisper. Loudly. Iâ€™m sure I try to make a point of using an indoor voice without actually telling Mom to shut it.

She holds the morsel closer and focuses through her bifocals as if checking a diamond for flaws.

â€śPut it down and eat around it,â€ť I repeat, trying not to appear angry.

â€śOh, fine. I have plenty to eat anyway. Who needs rice?â€ť She refocuses on her dinner plate. â€śDo you think I can eat the moo goo gai pan?â€ť

Not with your mouth open. Remember, thatâ€™s your rule, Mom.

Of course I donâ€™t verbalize this because itâ€™s not going to help to argue with her in front of my in-laws, the restaurateurs theyâ€™ve been visiting for 20 years and the general public. I can just quietly break my chopsticks under the tablecloth, so no one will notice. Ah, that feels better.

I make a mental note to do a little advance preparation in the future. There must be ways to avoid confrontation and honor my parents. Not to mention my mental health.

To start, I try looking at the situation from my parentsâ€™ viewpoint. I made a decision to embrace an interfaith relationship, but Mom didnâ€™t. Iâ€™m open to new experiences and accepting of different cultures; she loves me and is OK with my spouse, but isnâ€™t comfortable outside of her own microcosm. Before bringing her into an unfamiliar situation, I should have discussed it with her so she would be a bit more prepared.

I would also try to use a positive viewpoint to appeal to her. Next time Iâ€™ll say: â€śMom, the Smiths have invited you to their favorite restaurant because they really want you to enjoy a meal with them. They really love the food there and donâ€™t realize itâ€™s not what youâ€™re used to. There will be something on the menu you will be able to eat, but the most important thing will be enjoying each otherâ€™s company. They really look forward to seeing you.â€ť Iâ€™ll print a menu from the restaurantâ€™s website (in large font, no less) so Mom can be thinking about what she could comfortably tolerate before she even gets there.

I also consider my in-lawsâ€™ viewpoint. My father-in-law typically enjoys ordering family-style to show his prowess at selecting the best flavor combinations. So I would politely let him know in advance that Mom has complicated dietary concerns, and although everyone appreciates his expertise, it might be better this time to let everyone order their own thing. He would understand and reward me with a detailed recount of his recent gallbladder surgery recuperation that required a special diet. He would be careful to remind me that itâ€™s now perfectly OK to bring him a plate of those pecan cookies anytime I want to.

I would discuss with Mom their before-meal prayer routine. Most Jews I know donâ€™t say Kiddush (the prayer over wine) before sipping wine in a restaurant, but my Christian family bows their heads slightly as the head of the family says a blessing before digging in to the meal.

I would point out the similarities between this and saying Haâ€™Motzi (the prayer before meals) before Momâ€™s Shabbat meal. Iâ€™d let her know that although some may bow, sheâ€™s certainly not required to. Most will voice â€śamen,â€ť which is also not required of her. She can just keep her lips sealed. (I vaguely remember seeing her do this at some point in time and feel reasonably sure she can replicate it if she practices.)

Instead of focusing on differences, another great way to prepare is letting my family know what they have in common with others at the gathering. People of all backgrounds love gardening, crafting, investing and complaining about how long it takes their fancy new phone to update.

â€śMom, why donâ€™t you sit next to Ralph?â€ť I would suggest. â€śHe read that same Patterson novel you just did, and you can discuss the plot flaws with him until the cows come home while the rest of us talk about something weâ€™re interested in.â€ť

Finally, I heed the advice I received from a nurse experienced with dementia patients, which is applicable to all families: Donâ€™t correct or argue about recanted memories. If Mom wants to tell Ralph and Mary all about her experience as a Broadway chorus girl, Iâ€™ll sit back and enjoy the show. I donâ€™t mention that Mom grew up in New Jersey and couldnâ€™t dance her way out of a paper bag. The family is entertained, everyone is happy and the fifth commandment has been fulfilled.

When my husband and I first started dating I was what you might call a serial monogamistâ€”I had a string of long-term relationships that never really went anywhere. So when we met, I decided to change things up and ignore some of those relationship â€śmilestonesâ€ť that Iâ€™d sped toward in the past.

First on this list was meeting my family. I love them dearly, truly I do. But, weâ€™re a large group that some (i.e. my husband) may call intense. Iâ€™d had previous boyfriends feel overwhelmed by the number of family events and obligations.

Second was religion. My husband is not Jewish and I am, and while Iâ€™m OK with that, I didnâ€™t know how he felt.Â Now, this isnâ€™t a conversation I typically rush into. Iâ€™m not the most observant Jew. I donâ€™t keep kosher or go to synagogue regularly. But, I do go to services during the high holidays and celebrate all the holidays with my family, and Judaism is definitely a part of my upbringing.

So, I decided these milestones could wait.

Until they couldnâ€™t, and both converged just a few months into our relationship.

Elizabeth and her now-husband, Devon, on a trip to Italy before they were married

Passover was coming up and my sister was planning a big seder with all our family at her house. That meant my parents, sister, brother, in-laws, nephews, niece and more would all be in town just a few miles away for a big, raucous Jewish family event.

My husband (boyfriend at the time) knew I was going but I had already decided not to invite him. Who wants to meet a big family of another faith at a religious event that includes taking turns reading out loud, singing and speaking Hebrew? Apparently my husband.

As Passover neared I could tell that he actually wanted an invitation. That should have been my first sign that he was a keeper. But I resisted until it finally became more awkward not to invite him. And? It was great. He met my entire family at our Passover seder and the rest is history. So what did I know?

What I do know, now, is the importance of communication. While I initially waited to bring up the conversation about religion, we eventually did talk, long before we got engaged, then again once we were engaged, many times throughout the wedding planning process, again when planning our family and after, and we continue to have these discussions today.

We talked about what religion meant to us as individuals and as a couple, and most important, as a family. We made decisions early on, before we were married, about how we would raise our children. We talked about if and how this would impact our extended families, and what that meant to us as a couple. Mostly, we both felt strongly about respecting each otherâ€™s beliefs and needs.

We are lucky. Our religious backgrounds are widely different, but what is important to us about religion is the same. For us, itâ€™s first and foremost about family. Then, tradition, history and heritage; and those are things we both respect and believe in regardless of the formal aspects of the religions.

We decided early on to raise our daughter with aspects of both religions. My parents disagreed, thinking it would be confusing, but my husband and I had already discussed this and felt strongly about our decision.

We believed that our daughterâ€™s generation would be filled with kids from different faiths, races and combinations and that she would fit into this evolving world. And so far that has proven true.

Now, our daughter is 8 and we need to make decisions about joining a synagogue, Hebrew and/or Sunday School and a bat mitzvah. We also continue to celebrate Christian holidays and make that religion available as well. Because weâ€™ve already talked about much of this, those decisions are easier to make and typically in line with our shared beliefs.

This is what works for us.Â I will not tell you that an interfaith marriage or a mixed religious upbringing is right for everyone. And Iâ€™m sure weâ€™ll face obstacles and have to redefine our thinking and our plans. But, the best advice I can offer is advice that will fare well in any aspect of a marriage or relationship: Communicate openly; communicate often.